Henry and Solvej
by Broom Boi
Summary: Made for Sodor's Engines Writing Challenge #9


Written for Sodor's Engines Writing Challenge #9

Words: 1531

Main Characters: Henry and Solvej

Other Characters: Phillip, Irenia, Shunter, Simon, and Razor

_Note: Phillip and Henry are canon characters. Simon and Irenia belong to The Broken Mask. All others belong to me._

* * *

Grey clouds covered the sky. Bringing along the threat of lightning and rain. But there was none so far. Henry was in Knapford yards, waiting for workers to finish loading up a train. He failed to notice a small tank engine sneaking up next to him. He was deep in thought until said tank engine spooked him with a simple "Boo!"

"Agh!" Henry physically jumped and wheeshed steam, turning to the engine in question. It was Solvej, a small black tank engine with 6 wheels. She was a foreigner that hailed from Denmark.

"Don't do that!" Henry protested, slightly yelling.

"Not my fault you get scared easy," Solvej responded bluntly.

"Why are you here anyway?" Henry asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Here to pick up a train of coal. But I figured I'd scare you in ze meantime."

"That's not nice…" Henry said.

"Sorry, but I Have to leave now," Solvej said to him before taking off. Leaving Henry in a mildly bitter state, as her 'apology' didn't feel genuine. If it even was one.

Later on in the day, Henry was at Crovan's Gate, waiting for his train. He was once again deep in thought, when suddenly…

"Hej Hen-"

"Gah! Why do you keep doing that?!" Henry said to Solvej, somewhat shouting. Solvej had tried to get Henry's attention, but had spooked him, and got cut off by him.

"Sorry, vas not intentional."

"Oh, sure it wasn't." Henry doubted.

"That was _one_ time Henry."

"More like 3!" Henry retaliated.

"Well anyway, we need to dual head a train during sunset. Just to tell you ahead of time." Solvej told him before scurrying off. Leaving Henry more bitter than before as he wheeshed steam in irritation. Henry was starting to get tired of her attitude.

Henry was dual heading a train loaded with steel girders alongside Solvej. The train was long and heavy, and things were going smoothly. But Henry was still bitter over what happened earlier and wanted to teach her a lesson.

Then, lightning struck.

The rain started pouring down as they were surrounded by the sounds of lightning. And Henry was downright frightened. Henry wanted out. _Badly_. Luckily for Henry, they were coming up on n a tunnel. He quickly stopped in the tunnel. Much to Solvej's disinterest.

"What are you doing?" Solvej asked him, not exactly happy that they suddenly stopped. "We need to get moving!"

"No! Not with the lightning out there!" Henry responded, shaking. He just wanted to stay in the tunnel until the lightning stopped. But Solvej wanted to get moving.

"You can cower in the sheds all you want, but ve can't stay in this tunnel," Solvej responded.

"No!"

"Start moving or I'll move you _myself!_" Solvej threatened

"I'd like to see you try!" Henry responded as Bodil groaned.

"_Oh god please no,_" Bodil muttered to himself as Solvej started pushing. Henry immediately felt himself getting pushed out of the tunnel, and brakes in an instant. With the long load of steel behind her and Henry braking, she was moving quite slowly. But the fact she could even _move_ a load this heavy would impress most people. Henry's crew, however, didn't want this to last too long as they forcefully removed Henry's brakes and threw his throttle forward so they could get moving. But Henry fought back, leading to constant starting and stopping, with Solvej pushing from behind.

"Henry! Come on already!" Henry's driver complained.

"No! I'm standing up for myself!" Henry protested

"Henry this is _not_ what I meant!" Solvej said, as her cheeks went bright red from the amount of pushing she had to do.

Then, puffing was heard behind them, which came to a stop.

"What's happening up there?" A female voice asked. It was Irenia. She had

"Square wheels here _refuses to move!_" Solvej explained to Irenia behind him.

"Henry, can you please get moving?" Irenia asked,

Henry begrudgingly accepted and started moving again. Irenia was able to get moving now, but suspected tensions between the 2 strong yet shy engines.

It was the day after, it was morning, and, well...

"Oh, are you kidding me?" Were the words that formed the question of a mildly annoying green diesel named Shunter.

"I had nothing to do with this! I swear!" Said Phillip, a green diesel boxcab. They were in front of a siding, which had a line of oil tankers in it. But there was a random coach in the middle of them. And neither of them knew how it got there.

"Whatever." Shunter said with a monotone voice.

"You keep shunting, I'll get the coach out." Shunter ordered Phillip.

"Yes, sir!" Phillip said enthusiastically as he went off to continue shunting. Shunter began to separate the coach by pulling out the oil tankers and putting them in a separate siding. Before he could get to the coach, Irenia showed up.

"Hello," Irenia said as she pulled up next to Shunter. Shunter smiled a bit when she pulled up

"Ah, ello m' lady. What're you 'ere for?" Shunter asked her.

"Well, mostly to visit you. But there is something I noticed recently."

"What would that be?" Shunter asked.

"I noticed, _tensions_, between Solvej and Henry."

"Oh, those 2. Kinda surprising, since they seemed so evenly matched." Shunter responded, missing the point of the sentence.

"What I mean is, yesterday, Henry was double-heading a train with Solvej and refused to move out of the tunnel. And Solvej even called him square wheels."

"Hm, I see."

"Yep, can you do something about it?" Irenia asked.

"I'll see what I can do."

"You're the best, Shunter," Irenia said as she left. But not before blowing him a kiss. Leaving Shunter blushing bright red as he approached the coach.

Later on in the day, Henry would be at Arlesburgh. He wasn't in a good mood because of what happened yesterday, and it was quite visible. The first engine to notice, was Razor. She was a black and red tank engine that comes from Germany.

"You good?" She asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Henry responded.

"Are you sure?" Razor was no stranger to this sort of thing, she knew something was bothering Henry. Henry could only sigh.

"I didn't wanna leave yesterday, I was afraid of the thunder outside. Then Solvej tried to push me out." Henry explained.

"Who's Solvej?"

"She's...She's a danish tank engine. Small, but strong. But she's kind of a jerk." Henry explained.

"Oh? How zo?"

"She keeps sneaking up on me and never genuinely apologizes!" Henry was getting slightly louder.

"Henry, how well do you know her?"

"We're friends with a rivalry. Why?"

"Have you ever considered that she could've only been joking?"

"Uh, no. I didn't."

"She could've only been playing with you and not being serious about it."

"I...I didn't think about it that way."

"I suggest you find her and apologize for what happened at the tunnel. Even if her scaring you vas intentional, you can't let personal quarrels get in the way of work."

"I will! Thanks for the advice Razor!" Henry thanked her before taking off

"_Willkommen Freund!_" Razor said before Henry was out of earshot, speaking in her natural German tongue.

"Think everything will turn out great mate?" Matteo, who was Razor's driver, asked her.

"I think so, dear Matty!" Razor responded happily before taking off.

Shunter was shunting away peacefully at Knapford once again. He was minding his own business until in the corner of his eye, he saw Solvej. Smiling that she was here, he went over to her.

"Eyy."

"Oh, hello Shunter. Why are you here?"

"Shunting. Listen, I got something to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Solvej asked. "What would that be?"

"I heard of your incident with Henry yesterday."

"Oh…Zat..." Solvej's mood dampened. "That isn't a very proud moment for me."

"Oh? How so?" Shunter asked her

"I feel like I deserved it after what I did to him. He told me to stop scaring him, but I did it again without even thinking.." Solvej explained

"If you feel that way, you should probably apologize to him," Simon said from Shunter's cab, joining the talk.

"Dude, I'm pretty sure that's a must." Shunter said to Simon.

"You're both right. I probably should. Thanks, boys." Solvej thanked them before puffing off to find Henry.

"Think it'll go well?" Shunter asked Simon when Solvej left.

"I think it will dude."

"Hopefully." Shunter concluded before going back to shunting.

Henry and Solvej were now looking for each other, to apologize to each other. They would end up meeting at Vicarstown.

"Oh, Hej Henry," Solvej spoke up as they pulled up next to each other.

"Hi, Sol."

"Zo, I want to say I'm sorry. You asked me to stop scaring you, but I didn't." Solvej apologized.

"And I'm sorry for what happened at the tunnel. I should've just talked to you about it instead of letting it affect our work."

"Zo, ve both have something to be sorry for huh?"

"I guess we do. I'm glad to have you as a rival, and a friend." Henry told her. Solvej smiled at him.

"Me too, _min rival_."


End file.
